During the 90-minute service at the Alito Center outside of downtown New Orleans, nearly 1,500 people paid their final respects and reminisced about the late Bengals receiver, who passed away last Thursday. Henry was 26.

Lewis, Palmer and Director of Security Rusty Guy were among the Bengals who delivered remarks and defensive end Jonathan Fanene was one of the pallbearers.

Henry’s fiancée, Loleini Tonga, also spoke during the service and paused between sentences. A member of the Tonga family stood by her as she gave her remarks.

Henry died of massive head injuries a day after he fell out of the back of a pickup truck in Charlotte during what police have described as a domestic dispute between the two.

Each of the Bengals hugged Tonga, Henry’s mom and other family members as they filed by the open casket.

"Can't nobody feel what I'm feeling right now. ... We loved each other very much. People say I helped change his life. No. He changed mine," said Tonga. "We were supposed to get married in three months, but I'm going to wait until I see him again."

About 115 members of the Bengals organization and former teammates, including T.J. Houshmandzadeh, were at the service. Many were wearing black pins with Henry’s uniform number, 15, on it while some players also had black ribbons with “Slim 15” on them.

Palmer's voice was shaky at the end when he talked about the former Bengal, who was one of Palmer’s deepest threats at receiver for five seasons.

Palmer recounted a trip they made to the NBA Finals this past summer when the Lakers were playing Orlando and how much Henry appreciated the trip, saying “I saw all the good he had to offer.”

“Everything about Chris was cool. His walk, his swagger and even his tattoos," Palmer said. “... He walked past my locker every day to shake my hand as I said, 'Good morning,' and every day he said, 'What's up, cuz,'” Palmer said. “We've all seen and experienced different sides of Chris, and with every side he showed us, we saw just how kind and gentle his heart was.”

Goodell said he first heard the news from Mike Brown during a league meeting last week in Dallas. When asked about what Henry’s legacy should be, Goodell focused on the last two years.

“People forget these are young men that have challenges in their lives,” Goodell said. “He was a young man who struggled, made some decisions that he regretted but put himself on the right path. I’m proud of that and him. That’s what makes it more tragic is to see it end that quickly.”

An investigation is continuing, but police have not filed any charges. Henry and Tonga, who were raising three children, had planned on getting married in March.

Lewis spoke for everyone in the organization when he said that “we’re here to help you get through this”.

“I think as you can see inside with the outpouring of people Chris Henry in his very short life touched a lot of people,” Lewis said before the ceremony. “It’s a bright story and one that didn’t get to the end of it which is the unfortunate part.

“Chris’ fault was that he was loyal to a fault and he never thought much about Chris,” Lewis said. “We who knew Chris the best will remember him for the guy that he had learned to grow into.”

Guy spoke about that during the eulogy when he talked about how Henry had finally mastered self control.

“What makes all of us so happy is after a stumble or trip or two he finally rose up,” Guy said. “I know he was exceedingly grateful for that second chance.”

Houshmandzadeh, who was Henry’s teammate for four years, took a flight from Seattle and got to New Orleans late Monday.

Said Houshmandzadeh: “It’s still unbelievable to realize that he’s gone. It makes you look back and wonder if you should’ve done more and realize that you should take steps to help more often.”

Family members also gave their remembrances. His brother, Anthony Henry, joked that he hoped the Bengals would use their roster spot on him since he taught him everything.

But the most inspirational was Henry’s mother, Carolyn Henry Glaspy, who talked about the preconceived notions of her son, how some had called him a bad boy thug, and how he worked to change them.

“Look at my baby. Look at how he changed. God has a plan for this bad boy thug,” she said.

Former Bengals Rodney Holman and Brian Simmons were also among those in attendance.

“It’s somber and still surreal for us,” offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth said before the service. “We don’t want to believe it but it’s a chance to come in there and pay our respects. You can’t express love enough in a situation like this.”

Henry grew up in the small, suburban community Belle Chasse, not far from the funeral site. Shane Shelley, 26, was Henry's high school quarterback when they made it to the state title game in 2001, their senior year.

“We really lost a good friend, a brother, one of my best friends,” said a watery-eyed Shelley. “It's hard. We lost one of us. We're going to miss him. We love him ... The Chris Henry I knew was a good quiet young man, wasn't a troublemaker. That's what everybody needs to know. He was a good man, a good father.”

Following the funeral, Henry was entombed during a private graveside service in his hometown of Belle Chasse.